The Veteran Hardscape Revolution

Veteran Entrepreneurship: Leveraging The Services Of The SBA

So you’ve decided that working for yourself will give you the greatest control of your future.If you’ve attended StoneMakers Academy, you’ve positioned yourself in a lucrative and growing niche market.Consumer demand for outdoor living areas continues to grow, and the StoneMakers system for hardscape construction addresses customer needs of customization and affordability.If this is your first endeavor, what steps do you need to take to create a viable business for years to come?How do you meet the challenges, as well as reap the rewards, of owning your own business?

As a veteran entrepreneur, you’ve got resources available to you, free of charge, from the Small Business Administration (SBA).The SBA provides free Internet and individual face-to-face counseling for small businesses as well as low-cost training to first-time entrepreneurs."We can help accelerate the learning curve that comes with owning a business," says William Elmore, Associate Administrator of the Office of Veterans Business Development. "We have business development assistance in three primary areas: technical assistance, business financing and government contracting programs."

When starting a new business, there are a few key areas you’ll need to plan for.These include:

·Creating a business plan

·Marketing

·Financing

·Administrative

·Legal

·Hiring employees

The SBA has Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs) that offer assistance in outreach, assessment, long and short-term business training, counseling, directed referring, and online assistance to veterans, service disabled veterans, and Reserve business owners and entrepreneurs. Details on individual outreach centers are below.